Bonehead Talks About The Vortex, Oasis And More

We caught up with Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs, founder member and former guitarist with Oasis, who is about to start a UK and European tour with Manchester’s most talked-about new band, The Vortex.

The band and are currently recording their debut album with Bonehead on production duties.

The Vortex consist of John Mackie (vocals), Bonehead (guitar), Maz Bedjet (guitar), Nick Repton (bass), Sean O'Donnell (drums) and Jaxx* (backing vocals). JAXX (Heather Small/Cotton Club vocalist) has also joined the Vortex full-time, and will be touring with the band.

He chatted to us at length about his past, present and future.

How are you?

I'm alright, I'm very good.

So how did you come about joining The Vortex?

Well our bass player, Nick, I got to know him a couple of years ago, I was doing a music show on BBC Radio Manchester. I had my own show on there that I was presenting, he was a friend with one of the people I was co-presenting with and I got to know him from there.

I just went to see them play live a couple of times in Manchester really and I liked them, they just asked me one day do I fancy coming on stage and guesting on a couple of songs. So I did that, I played two songs at a gig in Manchester, so it just sort of turned into a regular thing, where I would just come on, guest for them, one thing led to another and I joined them full time last January.

How would you best describe the band’s sound?

It always reminds me of early sort of early Primal Scream, there’s a lot of big guitars going on, but there’s a lot of dance loops. We got Jackie on backing vocals, she’s sort of the real Denise Johnston type thing. It's got a dancy feel to it, but it still has some big guitars upfront sort of thing with a lot of dance loops going on. I hate to say it's a sort of dance cross over, what a stupid fucking thing that is to say. It's Rock 'N' Roll but with dance elements in it.

You have a new lead singer, how’s he settling in?

He's really settling in, we have done about four gigs with him now, he did about two rehearsals and they just dived him into his first gig. Which was brilliant, we did a gig in London last week it was the best gig I think we have played as a band as a unit. He's really coming to his own, and he's totally lifted the band, especially Jackie on backing vocals she sort of upped a gear as well now. The two voices together, Jackie and John's are totally fluid, it's brilliant, he's settled right in.

You have a busy few months coming up with gigs and festival appearances, are rehearsals going well? And can we expect any new material?

Yes it's cool, we are recording at the moment, we have no company behind us at the moment, so we are in the middle of doing that ourselves. We’re in rehearsals tonight, it's all looking good at the moment. We are looking forward to doing Europe, we got a gig in Dunfermline on Saturday that's a pretty good one, that's sold out so that should be cool. So I'm looking forward to that, after that we are off to Europe so I'm really looking forward to that. We did a few weeks last autumn in Europe that went down really well, packed it out, and we’re looking forward to doing it again.

You've been getting good reviews for your live performances, what tracks do you love to play live?

I like playing them all, I wouldn't pick a particular one, but at the moment we have a song called 'All Over Now' which I have always loved it as a song but it just seems that every gig we do it goes from strength to strength. The more we play it, the better it gets, now John's on board I think he put the final piece to the song and it just sounds absolutely amazing live. So I always love to play that, all of them, really, but at the moment it's 'All Over Now', I love to do it, it's great.

What’s the most distinctive element of the new songs?

The most distinctive element? Me... I was joking.... I don't know, I think it's the mix of guitars and that it's a sort of dance feel with the loops going and the samples as well. I think that's the most distinctive part of it. Its real upfront guitars, sitting behind them you have these real dancy loops and samples going. That's the most distinctive part of it, I would say

Have you written any tracks for the album? Any titles you can tell us?

I've done one, it's a really old one, it's a song called 'Moondog', we are doing that live at the moment. I'm busy working on a few at home as well, Maz and Sean, the guitarist and drummer, they write the songs. We just brought one in that John co wrote with Sean years ago, they used to play together, that's come into the set. There’s a lot of the new stuff at the moment being written and stuff, pretty soon there will be a mix of everyone but it's mainly Maz and Sean.

Is there anywhere that the band has not played live that you would like to go to? Would you come to Wales?

Yes we got to look into why we are not doing Cardiff, I don't know, I want to do Cardiff. We got a lot going on, we are booked up until October, but hopefully by September that's when we are really going to go for it so yes, we will be coming to Wales.

I still have not played in Glasgow with the band yet, and I really want to do Glasgow with the band. Cause it's my favourite city in the world, it really is the best place to play. I love playing in Scotland, but particularly Glasgow, it's just every time I've done a gig in Glasgow it's been up there with the best, I really want to go there with the band. The band have played Glasgow but that was before I joined, but since I have joined we have not done it.

There’s a lot, New York, you got to do old New York haven't you, Toyko but let’s get real for the moment, Glasgow is on my list, I absolutely love playing there.

For people who have not yet listened to your band what track would you recommend they listen to and why?

Well I'd say 'All Over Now' but the reason I'd say that is because at the moment it's my particular favourite to play and to listen to really. We got a track called 'Revolution Sometime' another track called 'Never Negotiate'. I think if you listen to them two it gives you a pretty good idea what the bands about, but then there’s another song called 'Dirty Soul' which is up there, as well, I think that's an amazing track. It has to be between them three I think.

Have you had any mad moments on the tour bus yet?

Too many to mention mate, too many to put into print. Nothing mad, it's alright, it’s all good fun on the bus, like I said we all went to Europe last Autumn. And that was the first time the band, myself not included, it was the first time they had been away out of the country on a tour bus gigging around. It was a new thing for them, we had a lot of fun, it was just a laugh from start to finish. But a couple of mad moments but nothing that would hit the tabloids, but there is always time.

You now do club nights as a well respected DJ, and have played in clubs all over the UK and around the world. How did you first get into it, and what tunes do you play in your live set?

I don't really do it anymore now, I'm solely concentrating on The Vortex full time now. I got into it purely for the love of playing records. The reason I got into it was Mike Joyce, the drummer out of 'The Smiths', he does a lot of it and he asked me to do one in the south of England, a sort of joint one me and him DJing together.
And I just thought, “fuck it why do I want to do that?” But I just thought, “why not go out and play records, it's what you love. You love listening to music, so why not and play music for people to enjoy?” It's how I got the bug really, it was good...but it's not something I'm doing at the moment, I'm giving that a break now I'm really concentrating on the Vortex.

I think the end of May, the 29th of May, I'm going out to Milan with Alan McGee, we are doing a joint one, there it's a bit of a mad Oasis night really, I think, I don't know, but we are going to be like guest DJ's, I'm going to be doing that as a bit of a one off really. But the reason I got into it was just the love of playing records.

In my set list I play anything, dance music to rock 'n' roll, 60s, 70s 80's, 90's a whole mixed bag. I just don't play one type of music. I play whatever goes down well on the night I play, really. 15,000 tunes in a bag and away you go, whatever goes down well on the night, I'm not stuck to one particular type of music.

You formed your first band 'Pleasure And Pain' in 1984, can you tell us a bit about your time with them? And the style of music that they played?

Well, I was playing keyboards at the time so I think the singer at the time, fucking hell, this is fucking years ago. The singer we had had a bit of a Jim Morrison obsession I'd say, I was on keyboards and I was really into 'The Doors' at that time so I'd play Doors style keyboards. It was all a bit Doorsey, you know, in the style of music we were playing it was alright, pretty cool. It just sort of fizzled out after a year or two and didn't go anywhere.

After 'Pleasure And Pain' you formed 'The Rain' with Guigsy, Tony McCaroll and Chris Hutton, are there any recordings/footage of the band laying around?

You know what, I think there is, somebody somewhere has got a really dodgy tape we played a pub. It was before Tony McCaroll, so we just had a drum machine. Guigsy was on Bass and me on Guitar with Chris Hutton singing. We played one night in a pub, somebody has got a video of it it's got onto the Internet yet I don't know.

I've not come across it.

Well I know for a fact somebody has a copy of the tape.

I will keep looking.

You know what, I'm fucking sure that Noel Gallagher had a copy of it at one point, cause I said, “give me that tape back.” I'm sure he may still have it, I'm sure he got hold of a copy but thank god it has not appeared on the Internet..... It's that bad I'm telling you.

How did you first meet Guigsy and Tony?

Guigsy, we all came from the same area of Manchester, all the lads knew each other, he was just part of the crowd. I don't know, maybe when I was 20 or something like that, he sort of came in with all the crowd of people we hung about with so I just got to know him, we went drinking together. Same with Tony, someone knew him from the area it was just generally living and growing up in the same area, that's about it.

When Liam joined the band and you and him teamed up as co-songwriters. Can you remember any of the song titles you wrote together? And are there any recordings/footage of them?

We wrote one, he did the words and I did the music it, was called 'Take Me' it's a pretty good song. I've heard recordings of it on the Internet is around. We only had three fucking songs and that was our whole bag. God help us but.... What were the other ones called?, I can't remember I don't know. There’s two others but I can’t think off the top of my head. But one was called 'Take Me', that was alright, not a bad song you know.

I have pictures of you on my site by Ian Tilton, with you at the 'Stone Roses' at Spike Island. Whatever happened to the Bonemobile that was pictured? And did Guigsy really do the fabulous paint job on it?

I scrapped it, it fell apart, yes he did cause I had that roof and I never really used to use that roof and it was stuck in the garage. I think we were all sleeping out in the van that night we sort of camped out over night. So we needed a roof in case it rained so I stuck the roof on. I think Guigsy had turned up that evening and fucking spray painted it with all different colours, did a Jackson Pollock on it so I was like, “what they fuck have you done to my van, you dick.”

That van fell apart, it never had a key either, what you used to have to do was stick a screwdriver in the hole where the key should have gone and that would turn the ignition and away you go. But I used to hide the screwdriver under the drivers seat, what I used to do is go to a pub in Manchester, I'd drive the van, have a few pints. I'd leave the van outside the pub until the next day, of course everyone in south Manchester knew that it was Bonehead's van and they knew if you opened the door and took the screw driver from under the seats, stuck it in the hole, it would just go.

So I used to wake up the next day and it would not be there, someone had nicked it to get home. My Saturday or Sunday mornings were generally spent walking around south Manchester trying to find the van. Because of that it just generally fell apart, I scrapped it for £20.

You have worked with Andy Rourke on a few occasions for the Versus Cancer charity, is that a charity that is close to your heart?

Cancer really yes, that is the one that close to my heart and I know a lot of people who have died from it. I know a lot of friends of mine who have had really close people who died from Cancer. If I'm going to pick a particular charity to play for, donate or to raise money for, it's always cancer for me.

You played yourself in a scene in the film 'Freight' with Billy Murray and Craig Fairbrass? How did this come about?

Mike Price was actually working on the set doing a bit of driving, not as a stunt driver but he drove the cars in a scene or something. I think 'The Padingtons' were originally going to do it. What it was was a scene when a band comes off stage But 'The Padingtons' couldn't fulfil the commitment. they weren't available and the producer just said to Mike, “any chance you could get 'The Vortex' in to do it?” Which of course we said yes, but it came about through Mike, it was just good fun to do it.

So you enjoyed the experience? Is there any chance we could one day see you popping into Coronation Street for a pint at the Rovers?

No, fuck that, I've just been getting into 'The Sopranos', I never watched it when it was about, but I just got the box-set. I'm totally absolutely addicted, I'm totally a Sopranos man, I'm telling you. Have you ever watched it?

I've never seen it, a couple of people have said about it but I have never watched it.

If that ever came out again, another series, I'd be in there like a shot, if they let me, definitely.

Have you ever been asked to appear in any reality shows?

Yes.

Can you name what ones you have been asked to appear in?

It's wierd, I don't watch TV, It does my head in, it's crap, ain't it? I'm watching 'The Sopranos' on DVD box set, but apart from that I just watch the news and that's it for me. But I can't remember the name of it.

Celebrity Big Brother, that was the name of it, I got a email before Christmas from Alan McGee he just said, “Bonehead, do you fancy doing Celebrity Big Brother?” I think the producer got hold of McGee and said did me and him fancy doing it? I just said, “No, fuck that mate”, I think they offered us about £100,000 each to do it. But I wouldn't do it for £100 fucking million. Sad... sad... I wouldn't do it.

That show does get worse though

I've not watched it, I tell a lie, I watched it about twice when Terry Christian was on it as I used to co-present a radio show with him. I watched it as I knew him, I watched about 20 minutes of each show, it's rubbish, No, I would not do it, I've been approached once and no, I would not do it.

Were you shocked when Liam thanked you and the other members of the band during his acceptance speech At the Brits?

Shocked no, not at all, no, it's nice to be thanked, of course he was going to thank us, it was alright. I'm not surprised he did not thank Noel, there’s no surprises there.

What did you make of Liam's gesture to give the award away?

I didn't think anything of it, cause the Brit Awards don't mean shit to me. So what? I think it was late that night my phone went, I just got so many texts saying stuff like, “Oh God, he's done it again” and “Bonehead, did you watch it?” And I'm like, “What's happened?” I knew we had won the award, I knew weeks before that we had won it. So I got all these texts and I thought, God whats he done?, so I went on YouTube and I watched it and I thought so what?

The media made a big deal out of it really

Well, they made a big thing, what did he do? He came on thanked the band, he thanked the fans, live forever. He gave the award to the audience fair enough, he didn't want it sitting on his shelf, know what I mean? In my eyes he was just giving it back to the fans, that's who deserved it, so whatever, big deal. I have seen him do worse, put it that way, I've stood next to him at award ceremonies where he has been fucking worse than that. I think he was just totally fucking honest, so what? But deep down they would have loved him to smash the place up, wouldn't they? But he's mellowed out. He did no wrong in my eyes, it's just Liam being Liam.

We're you happy to see so many of the songs that you played on feature so heavily on Stop The Clocks?

Yes absolutely, you know absolutely... I look back on them days as the proudest days of my life, I wouldn't rewind the clock and not do it again. That's an absolutely brilliant time of my life to be a part of it, yes, I'm dead proud when you walk in a shop and you hear a record you played on. Absolutely, to say you were a part of that band and what they achieved and what they did and recorded, then it's just a massive thing, so definitely, I absolutely love it man.

Are there any songs that you recorded with Oasis that have never seen the light of day? If so can you tell us any titles?

That we recorded, I don't think so that we recorded, we used to do a lot of things there used to be a lot of stuff we used to do in France. Noel was bringing a lot of ideas, really good ideas... And what we would generally do in sound checks and so on was play them and work them out or whatever. And they would just get recorded just live from the death. There was a lot of stuff that didn't see the light of day or didn't evolve into a song. Noel would turn it into something else that went out as a release. We also used to do a lot of stuff in the studio just jamming about. I can't remember any titles but generally there weren’t any working titles. Lots of stuff just jamming and whatever, tons of it, I got a box full of tapes at home with stuff on there, labelled 'new ideas', 'Noel new ideas'. I got tons of stuff that has never been heard and probably never will. I'm certainly not going to air it's not my songs to do, but there is plenty of stuff like that.

Noel has called several songs (Acquiesce and Some Might Say, for example) those that "defined Oasis". Which ones do you consider as the definitive Oasis songs?

Lets sum them up, I think I'd go for the obvious 'Cigarettes & Alcohol', 'Rock 'n' Roll Star', I think they are, 'Bring It On Down' has just got that real edge that the band had in the early days, sounds really raw and punky. I love that song 'Bring It On Down' but I think if you really want to define them it's got to be 'Cigarettes & Alcohol', 'Rock 'n' Roll Star' but then 'Live Forever', 'Wonderwall' there’s just so many. 'Slide Away'. If you want to get a good presentation of Liam's vocals then 'Slide Away' for me, that songs always been up there with the best vocals take he has ever done. If you really sit down and listen to Liam on that, it's amazing man. it really is.

It is well known that you cried when you first heard Champagne Supernova, which other Oasis songs made you particularly emotional when you first heard them?

I don't know, probably a lot of them, I think 'Live Forever' as it was so early on. Noel came in and played us 'Live Forever' before we even signed a deal. He played us 'All Around The World', that really hit me. He played that so long ago and I remember thinking, “wow, that is a fucking amazing song” and that really hit me emotionally just for that piece of music.

I was like, “God, I can't wait to get that recorded”, Noel always said we are not going to record that song till we can get enough money for a 40 piece orchestra in. And we were all laughing like fuck, we are never going to see that day. A couple of years later there we were in a studio, recording 'All Around The World' with a 40 piece orchestra and I just remember that was pretty emotional, 'All Around The World' has sort of hit me that way.

'Champagne Supernova' when he first played that on the back of the tour bus with an acoustic guitar and went through the whole album with us and it was like pretty heavy listening to it for the first time like that with just him singing.

I love that song it's one of my favourites.

It's amazing, 'The Masterplan' is another one that still gets me, I still listen to that now and does the same sort of thing.

Do you now wish you had sung lead vocals on Boneheads Bank Holiday?

I fucking did, I sang it about 800 times in the space of two hours mate. But I was too drunk to put it out on release. It's good I'm there in the background being drunk with Liam, it was a good laugh doing it but fortunately I was far too drunk. Why the fuck was he asking me to sing a song for anyway? I just woke up one day in the studio and Noel's like, “Get in there, you’re singing a song”, and I was like, “what? Fucking hell I can't sing.” He's like, “You’re doing it mate, I've wrote a song and you’re going to sing it.” So I went to the pub with Liam and we had about sixteen cans of cider each and the rest is history, as they say. I've got about three hours of outtakes of me and Liam singing that and you have never heard anything like it in your life, if you think I was bad you should have heard Liam.

You should put them on YouTube

Oh God no no no, you do not want to hear it... It's really funny but no.

Which Oasis gig was your favourite ever and why?

I get this question so many times and I can't say one gig, I could rattle off so many, an obvious one would be Knebworth just for the sheer scale and vastness and flying in by helicopter and 7,000 people backstage at your after show party, 250,000 people, yes, you are never going to forget that one.

But if it comes down to it, it's probably one of the smaller ones like Glasgow Barrowlands, you know with however many people it holds, 1500 to 2000 people just bouncing up and down.

Sort of in the earlier days gigs like that, I'll always remember the first time we went over to Japan not knowing what to expect. You’re on the other side of the world and you’re in this small little club and you go over there and you just got this idea of Japanese people being really reserved and polite and sat there. They just went ape shit, they were just jumping and screaming and we didn't know what to do, it's the first time we had been there, you’re never going to forget that, any one of the early Japanese gigs would stick into my mind.

But then Loch Lomond, that was pretty amazing, Maine Road in the space of a couple of years you’re playing for 40,000 people in your home city, even though I didn't support Manchester City but that was amazing. It was all amazing, man, you just can't sit down and think about it as it was all amazing, all of it, mate... all of it.

Do you still keep in contact with any of the former members?

I was in London the other week and I had a couple of meetings and stuff, I met up with Alan White, it was the first time I had seen him for years. So we went out and went to his house. I spent the day and night with Alan and that was alright, it was cool, first time I had seen him in ages but I live in Manchester, they live in London. I've not seen Guigsy in ages, but we still keep in touch by phone.
I've meet up with Liam a couple of times down in London, the last time I seen him was a few years back, a good few years back. I went to see Richard Ashcroft with him down in Camden.

The last time I saw Noel was when I played the Versus Cancer gig, he headlined it and I was playing on the bill that night with The Happy Mondays and some other bands. I caught up with Noel then, but we just don't see each other, I live in Manchester, they live in London. It's pretty rare, but you know, we see each other. We meet up generally, it's pretty rare, it’s few and far between with the things we do.

It was reported in 1997, you purchased a personalised car numberplate which read. "S1 SAO" which when viewed in a rear view mirror read 'OASIS'. Is this true? and do you still have it?

Yes it's true, I've still got it.... It's not on my car, but I do own it. I still own the registration number, I took it off the car ages ago. Everybody knew, when you seen it was quite obvious what it was, and who was driving it. I still own it, I still got it. If anyone wants to buy it, put me in a serious offer.

Stick it on eBay

Well do you know what, I was going to sell it cause I don't use it, but I'm sure someone out there might like to own it, so yes, send a serious offer in to stopcryingyourheartout.com and I will think about it.

You will be inundated with offers now

Well let's get a serious offer in and I might sell it.

What is your favourite Oasis song since you left the band?

Since I left, mmmmm that's a hard one ain't it, cause if I say a Noel song Liam will get the hump, and if I say a Liam one Noel will get the hump. so none of them, they’re all a bag of shit. I tell you what, I really love 'Mucky Fingers', I really love that one and that fucking Liam one 'I'm Outta Time', I absolutely love that one. I just love everything they do, I'm still the world’s number one Oasis fan, it's hard when people say, I don't like that, I say fuck off, I love it but I do.
I do love 'Mucky Fingers' and I don't know why. It's something about it, it has a real 'Velvet Underground' feel to it. There’s something about that song that I love. But 'I'm Outta Time' I really love.

I like hearing Liam and always look forward to listening to Liam's new stuff , I feel proud for him as he's come from 'Little James' to 'Im Outta Time' and you can just see Liam writing songs that he never did. I just sort of feel really proud for him when I hear 'Im Outta Time', for the first time it was a real proud moment for me and for Liam. It's a really, really nice song, I love it.

What was the real reason of you walking out of the recording for "Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants"? There are so many rumours......

There’s millions of rumours, loads of rumours... Legally you don't leave Oasis overnight, you don't wake up one morning and think “I'm walking, I'm going”, it just doesn't happen. There were lots of reasons but the main reason was, for me personally was there was a definite spark to that band. When we first came out in 1994 to sign that deal we were just five lads of the street, there was a real sort of energy in that band. A lot happened very fast and we reached a great height very fast, by the time we came to record 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants' we were all living and rented this big chateau in the south of France that belonged to Christian Dior.

And we set up a studio in there on our own, and we started recording an album there. It had a swimming pool, we were driving big sports cars, you know, we had the world at our feet. To reach that stage then you should be having so much fun, and that should have been so much fun and for me personally there was no fun there and that spark has gone. The original spark didn't feel like it was there, it really didn't. I don't know it had just gone.

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy being there, but it was just a feeling that had gone on over time with me. And I did a lot of serious thinking, and that sort of nailed it for me. And I just thought, that's it for me, the old gang thing had gone for me and it does not feel right. And if I had carried on and finished that session and then gone on and done a two year world tour to promote it I would not have been giving 100% to the band and the fans. And I have said it before you can't be in a band like 'Oasis' or you can’t be in 'Oasis' full stop if you're not giving 100%.

Now, I could have finished the album, I could have gone out on tour but I would have been giving 90% and that's not good enough, you got to be giving your all. So I would have been lying to the band, lying to the fans. I'd have been lying to myself and that's what really made me make my decision. I just thought I can’t go on with this, to sort of kid people I'm giving my all when I won't be so I just made my decision, that was the main reason.

It's not an easy decision, believe me, but I had to do it. But once I made it there was no going back. I was set... I certainly don't regret one minute of what I did in Oasis, absolutely not. I look back and think proudest/best moments of my life ever. But I could not carry on by not giving 100%, I just couldn't do it. I mean the truth be told, I think when we did Knebworth that was such a massive thing to reach in such a short space of time. And I have said it before and I will say it again, I think we should have done Knebworth and on that second night we should have all taken a bow and said, thank you and good night, we were Oasis.

We should have bowed out but we didn't, we carried on, it was a bit of a struggle after Knebworth, fucking hell. To go over to America and play to a few thousand people, when you just played to a quarter of a million. I think we reached that point and more that we ever dreamed we could have reached. I think we should have bowed out after Knebworth, but then again, I think the band did pick up after I left.

After I left I think they got better, got better, got better, then, unfortunately they split. But I do think they were progressing back to their roots as it were.

Would you ever consider working with Liam or Noel again in the future?

If I was asked to do something with them, course I'd do it, but it's not my priority. I'm not going to sit down and wait for a phone call or, “Oh shit I want to do it”.

But certainly if Liam would ring me tomorrow and said, “Do you want to play on guitar on this track?”, I'd be there like a shot, of course I'd do it. But you know what, at the moment I'm playing with The Vortex and I got the same feeling with The Vortex and the same vibe that I had in 1993/94 with Oasis, it feels like that for me now. I'm really enjoying what I'm doing, this is what I want to do, and this is where I'm going.

It's full time for The Vortex for me, I don’t sit around dwelling on the past and wish for a phone call for sure, but if I was asked, sure, I would do it.

What do you miss the most about being in Oasis?

Noel and Liam fights, they were pretty good.

I can imagine.

I don't miss it....The first year or two years really after I left the band you missed it all. The whole lot, you miss being in the studio, you miss waking up in hotels, going to airports, you miss doing the gigs, you miss the crowds, you miss the people. Noel, Liam, Guigsy and Alan, it took two years to get over that, it really did. You sort of find yourself again, now I don't miss anything. I just look back with good memories. I don't miss it in the sense you dwell on it and think, “I really miss that”, I just look back fondly on it.

Okay and finally, Do you think that Oasis will reform in a few years, or is that it for them?

No I think that’s it, unfortunately. I think that’s it, but good you know. I was pretty sad when they split up. I wouldn’t say I was shocked, I think it was probably on the fucking cards they weren’t going to go on forever. And I'm glad they didn’t go for ever. Cause I'd hate to see Noel and Liam being Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, grown men touring around the world. So I’m glad they didn’t keep going.

It was sad to see they split with a fight, and I hope they make it up, of course.

But I think this is going to be for the better, cause it’s going to be good for music now. Just to see what Noel comes up with, to see what Liam comes up with on their own individual selves... I'm looking forward to that.

And I think it's going to be good for Liam, especially Liam, I really, really, really can't wait to hear what Liam comes out with. Cause I think when Noel comes out, and this is nothing against Noel, but I think when Noel comes out with his new stuff people will say it sounds like Noel Gallagher, it's definitely a Noel Gallagher song. And it does, and we know it's going to be good... we know it is.

But I think Liam won't be scared to put a little twist to what he does. Liam will experiment a bit more, he will stick his little Liam twist to it, and I think it will be pretty interesting. I'm really looking forward to it, it's going to be good for music, it's going to be good for young bands coming up, I think, pretty influential on all, I'm sure, I hope.

Special thanks to Bonehead for taking the time to answer the question and special thanks to the visitors to the site for sending so many good questions in. Also thanks to Justine & Damian at www.brave-music-agency.co.uk for arranging the interview on the websites behalf.

Great interview Louise!!! Bonehead's answer to quitting Oasis was complete bullshit though. He makes it sound like he quit before Standing on the Shoulder of Giants was even recorded. He stuck around til after it was done recording. Noel had to re-record his & Guigsy's parts. I remember reading an article back in '99 where Bonehead got into a drunken row w/ French Police & Noel gave him gears about not abiding by the new no drinking/drugs policy of the band @ that time. He obviously doesn't want to come off as the bad guy but after he left, the lads picked up & carried on. Noel was right - its not like Paul McCartney left the Beatles. Still a great piece of interviewing skills on your part. Keep up the great work!